Method of forming hub shells for wire wheels



April 17, 1934. CASWELL 1,955,054

METHOD OF FORMING HUB SHELLS FOR WIRE WHEELS Filed Afiril 27, 19:51 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Ben/a7 (2/ Ca swez ATTO RN EY'S April 17, 1934. B. CASWELL METHOD OF FORMING HUB SHELLS FOR WIRE WHE ELS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 27. 1931 vllulli/t INVENTOR fin l/@7712)? Casmedz ATTORNEY-S Patented Apr. 17, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF FORMING HUB SHELLS FOR WIRE WHEELS Benjamin Caswell, Detroit, Mich, assignor to Kelsey- Hayes Wheel Corporation, Detroit,

8 Claims.

The invention relates to the manufacture of wheel body elements and refers more particularly to the manufacture of outer hub members or hub shells of wheels. The invention has for one of its objects an improved. method of forming a Wheel body element, such as an outer hub member, from a flat or substantially flat blank of suitable material such as steel. Another object is to form the wheel body elementin such a manner that the scrap metal is kept at the minimum. A further object is to form the wheel body element in a manner to produce a strong construction which will withstand the stresses to which it is subjected in use.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a front elevation showing the comgo'pleted wheel body element;

Figure 2 is a cross section on the line 2--2 of Figure 1;

Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, '7, 8, 9; 10, 11 and 12 are views illustrating the different steps in the method of forming the parts of the wheel body element.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the particular wheel body element formed by my method is the outer hub member or hub shell of a wire wheel for a motor vehicle. This outer hub member comprises the tubular member 1 and the anchoring member 2. The tubular member has the rear enlarged terminal portion 3 and the front enlarged terminal portion 4, the latter, however, 1 being of smaller diameter than the former. Intermediate these terminal portions is the forwardly tapered portion 5. The front terminal portion 4 has the inturned flange 6 which extends toward the axis of the tubular portion. Both the terminal portions 3 and 4 are provided with the spoke holes 7 and the seats 8 at the inner ends of these holes for engaging the heads 9 at the inner ends of the wire spokes 10.

The anchoring member 2 is a flanged member iof general L-shaped cross section. This member has the radially extending flange 11 and the forwardly tapered flange 12, the latter fitting within and being rigidly secured to the forwardly tapered portion 5 of the tubular member 1 by "suitable means such as the rivets 13 or by being welded thereto at 14 or by both. The radial flange 11 is provided with the central opening 15 for engaging over the barrel of the inner hub member, this opening being bounded by the an- '5'Inu1ar flange 16. The radial flange 11 also has the annular series of holes 1'7 for receiving the bolts which are engaged by nuts and with the nuts secure the outer hub member to the inner hub member. The anchoring member 2 is also preferably reinforced by the radially extending ribs 18 formed in and connecting the radial flange 11 and the tapered flange 12.

In carrying out my method, a flat or substantially flat sheet steel blank 19, shown in Figure 3, is progressively cupped, as shown in Figures 4 and 5. This cupped blank is then fashioned to the form shown in Figure 6. As shown in this figure, its free end 20 has been enlarged and its intermediate part 21 has been progressively decreased in diameter or tapered from its enlarged end portion toward its closure end portion 22. The next step, as shown in Figure 7, consists in enlarging the closure end portion to form the solid closure end 23 of greater diameter and the annular part 24, which progressively increases in diameter toward the closure end.

After the blank has been cupped and operated upon, as above outlined, to form the tubular portion with the enlarged free end part 20, the oppositely tapered parts 21 and 24 and the decreased part 25 between these oppositely tapered parts and to form the integral closure end portion 22, the blank is then severed at the decreased part 25 to form the tubular blank 26 and the flanged blank 27, the tubular blank having the tapered part 21 and the flanged blank having the tapered part 24. In this connection the angles of inclination of the tapered parts are substantially the same and it is to be noted that the maximum external diameter of the tapered part 24 is less than the maximum internal diameter of the tapered part 21.

The tubular blank is then operated upon by curling inwardly the decreased part 25 at its severed end, as shown in Figure 9, after which this part is expanded and fashioned to provide the inwardly extending annular end flange 28,

which extends toward the axis of the tubular blank.

The flanged blank 27 is operated upon to pierce the closure end 23 and also countersink the This flanged blank is also formed with the annular flange 33 bounding the central opening 32.

The tubular and flanged blanks are then assembled by inserting the flanged blank within the tubular blank and engaging the tapered part 24 of the flanged blank with the tapered part 21 of the tubular blank. The flanged blank is accurately positioned axially within the tubular blank and then fixedly secured thereto as by riveting or welding the two together, or by both. At this time it is to be noted that the enlarged free end 20 of the tubular blank forms the enlarged rear terminal portion 3 of the tubular member 1, the tapered part 21 forms the tapered part 5 and the enlarged curled end 25 with the inturned flange 28 forms the front enlarged end 4 and the inturned flange 6. It is also to be noted that the closure end 23 of the flanged blank forms the radial flange 11 of the anchoring member 2 and that the tapered part 24 forms the tapered flange 12 and also that the holes 30 and 32, the ribs 31 and the annular flange 33 correspond respectively to the holes 17 and 15, the ribs 18 and the annular flange 16.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. The method of forming an outer hub member of a wheel, which comprises providing a cupped blank with a tubular portion having a tapered part and with a closure end portion, severing the tubular portion between the tapered part and the closure end portion to form a tubular blank with a tapered part and a flanged blank, and securing the flanged blank within and engaging the tapered part of the tubular blank.

2. The method of forming an outer hub member of a wheel, which comprises providing a cupped blank with a tubular portion having tapered parts and with a closure end portion, severing the tubular portion between the tapered parts to form a tubular blank with a tapered part and a flanged blank with a tapered part, and securing the tapered parts of the tubular and flanged blanks together.

3. The method of forming an outer hub member of a wheel, which comprises cupping a blank, tapering a part of the tubular portion of the cupped blank, expanding another part of the tubular portion at the closed end portion of the cupped blank, severing the tubular portion between the tapered and expanded parts to form a tubular blank and a flanged blank, and securing the flanged blank within the tubular blank with the expanded part engaging the tapered part.

4. The method of forming an outer hub member of a wheel, which comprises cupping a blank, progressively decreasing the diameter of an intermediate part of the tubular portion of the cupped blank, enlarging the free terminal portion of the tubular portion, expanding the part orthe tubular portion connecting into the closure end, severing the tubular portionbetween the progressively decreased part and the enlarged part of the tubular portion, and securing the closure end portion within the tubular portion with the enlarged part engaging the progressively decreased part.

5. Those steps in the method of forming an outer hub member of a wheel which consists in providing a cupped blank with a tubular portion having axially spaced parts tapering in opposite directions, severing the tubular portion between the tapered parts to form a tubular blank with a part tapering in one direction and a flanged blank with a part tapering in the opposite direction, inverting the flanged blank and telescoping the same within the tubular blank.

6. Those steps in the method of forming an outer hub member of a wheel which consist in providing a cupped blank with a tubular portion having axially spaced parts tapering in opposite directions, severing the tubular portion between the tapered parts to form a tubular blank with a part tapering in one direction and a flanged blank with a part tapering in the opposite direction, inverting the flanged part and telescoping the same within the tapered part of the tubular portion.

7. Those steps in the method of forming an outer hub member of a wheel which consist in providing a cupped blank with a tubular portion having a tapered part, severing the blank between the tapered part and closed end portion thereof, and telescoping the closed end portion within the tapered part of the tubular portion.

8. Those steps in the method of forming an outer hub member of a wheel which consist in providing a cupped blank with a tubular portion having axially spaced oppositely tapering end parts, severing the tubular portion between the aforesaid parts, inverting the severed closed end part, and telescoping the tapered portion thereof with the tapered end part of the tubular portion aforesaid.

BENJAMIN CASWELL. 

